Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets

Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets has been one of the most amazing outcomes of the Pandemic. I've been a resident in this neighborhood since 2016 and it's amazing to see the impact this program has had on the area.

Before we dive into the current state, let's talk about the history of the area. Vanderbilt Avenue is Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Prospect Heights is surrounded by Washington Avenue, Atlantic Avenue, Eastern Parkway, and Flatbush Avenue. It is in close proximity to major landmarks like Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Public Library, Mount Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. My personal favorite is that it’s close to multiple Subway Stations: 2,3 at Grand Army Plaza or Bergen St, B,Q at 7th Ave, and C at Clinton/Washington Ave. It has a family vibe and that’s very obvious where the Saturday market is held at Grand Army Plaza.

Because Prospect Heights is a much smaller neighborhood, it was often overlooked by its larger neighbors- mostly grouped together with Park Slope. It is much smaller than Park Slope, Fort Greene, or Crown Heights which all border the neighborhood.

To me, a clear example of this "under the radar" status is with the historic district. Park Slope Historic District was created in 1973. Prospect Heights Historic District was created in 2009. The types of brownstones and structure of tree lined streets are all very similar, Prospect Heights just has a much smaller footprint.

Two happenings started to bring Prospect Heights more into prominence, even before Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets. The first was the construction of Pacific Park. While there was a lot of controversy surrounding this, it ultimately brought a lot of visibility, development, and more resources to the neighborhood. The first condominium building that was built was 550 Vanderbilt Ave. This high rise is far larger than anything else in the neighborhood and brought a new inventory of ultra-luxury housing to Prospect Heights.

The second event that raised the prominence was the opening of Olmsted. Olmsted opened in 2016 to wide acclaim. It was awarded Michelin stars and was consistently rated in the top 10 best restaurants around the city. It was the first time Prospect Heights was a dining destination that someone might travel from Manhattan for.

This momentum for the neighborhood was obvious and I continued to see new restaurants opening. Obviously, the trend rapidly stopped in March 2020 when the city shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Because Vanderbilt Avenue had an existing neighborhood council in place and a strong conglomeration of business and housing support through places like 550 Vanderbilt Ave and Olmsted, they were able to seize upon the Open Streets Program.

While many neighborhoods offered the Open Streets Program during the peak Covid years, only 10 areas were designated permanent status by Bill de Blasio in May 2021. Vanderbilt Avenue was one of those programs and in 2022 and 2023 it operated from April - October.

If you're looking to explore Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets, the program is up every weekend from the first weekend of April through the last of October. It's pretty amazing and is it an all-volunteer-led program with most financial support coming from local businesses. Vanderbilt Avenue is shut down from Park Place- Atlantic Ave on Fridays 5-10 pm, Saturdays 12 pm-10 am, and Sundays 12 pm-10 am. (As a note there are exceptions to this rule as they cancel any programming during rain and will modify the schedule to accommodate other events like the Brooklyn Marathon.). I highly recommend using their Instagrams page to stay up to date with happenings: Vanderbilt Open Streets.

Living near Vanderbilt Avenue, the street serves as the ultimate amenity. Expanded bike lanes are made for transit. Public tables are in the street for anyone to use. More tables and services are added for the bars and restaurants. Programming is also set up every weekend with music, activities, and much more to support both local businesses and residents. (The 11238 zip code is not required to participate.)

If you're interested in living near Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, this popularity has made prices increase recently. Both for apartments rent ranges for similar units can be higher than Park Slope or Crown Heights given the smaller amounts of inventory.